The disclosure relates generally to optical fibers, and more particularly to methods of of terminating one or more optical fibers with a ferrule positioned within or intended for a fiber optic connector.
Optical fibers are useful in a wide variety of applications, including the telecommunications industry for voice, video, and data transmissions. In a telecommunications system that uses optical fibers, there are typically many locations where fiber optic cables that carry the optical fibers connect to equipment or other fiber optic cables. To conveniently provide these connections, fiber optic connectors are often provided on the ends of fiber optic cables. The process of terminating individual optical fibers from a fiber optic cable is referred to as “connectorization.” Connectorization can be done in a factory, resulting in a “pre-connectorized” or “pre-terminated” fiber optic cable, or the field (e.g., using a “field-installable fiber optic connector).
Regardless of where installation occurs, a fiber optic connector typically includes a ferrule with one or more bores that receive one or more optical fibers. The ferrule supports and positions the optical fiber(s) with respect to a housing of the fiber optic connector. Thus, when the housing of the fiber optic connector is mated with another fiber optic connector or adapter, an optical fiber in the ferrule is positioned in a known, fixed location relative to the housing. This allows an optical connection to be established when the optical fiber is aligned with another optical fiber provided in the mating component (the other fiber optic connector or adapter).
Ferrules bores typically have a size that is only slightly larger than a “bare” optical fiber to provide fixed positional relationship mentioned above. The term “bare” is used because optical fibers, which may be glass or plastic, are normally surrounded by one or more protective coatings/layers. Thus, removal of the coating(s) is typically required prior to inserting an optical fiber into a ferrule bore.
Various methods are available to remove the coating(s) from an optical fiber, including mechanical stripping, chemical stripping, hot gas stripping, and laser stripping. Each of these methods presents its own challenges. For example, mechanical stripping includes physically removing coating material from the optical fiber with a semi-sharp edge of a blade, which has the potential to damage the optical fiber and can require time-consuming inspection and replacement procedures for the blade. Chemical stripping uses chemicals to dissolve coating material, but the chemicals may require extensive procedures to protect the environment and safety measures. Hot-gas stripping uses a heated jet of gas (e.g., nitrogen or air) to melt and remove material, which can be difficult to control and may result in considerable debris. Laser stripping involves using one or more laser beams to vaporize or ablate coating material, but can require complex and expensive equipment to distribute the laser energy around the optical fiber in a desired manner.
In addition, once coating material is removed from an end section of an optical fiber using any of the above-mentioned methods, the optical fiber may be vulnerable to damage. A stripped (i.e., bare) optical fiber may be damaged merely by being in contact with particulates, which may scratch or damage an exterior surface of the optical fiber where coating material has been removed. Any stripping process completed prior to insertion of the optical fiber into a ferrule must be managed carefully so that the stripped optical fiber is not damaged prior to being protected within the ferrule.